Representing Jewish Communities in 100 Countries Across Six Continents
Representing Jewish Communities in 100 Countries Across Six Continents
18 February 2010
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has urged Jewish students not to apply for a place at the University of California in Irvine (UCI) and called on donors not to give any money to the institution as it had failed to stop anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing on its campus. In a press release, ZOA accused the university of enabling bigotry and violating civil rights "by failing to condemn longstanding anti-Semitic and Israel-bashing speech and conduct on campus, and failing to enforce its own policies against the perpetrators."
The group also urged donors to stop supporting UCI. The call follows last week's speech at the university by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, which was repeatedly interrupted by anti-Israel activists.
In its statement, ZOA said that “UC Irvine must now pay the price for its inaction. We call on all decent people, both Jews and non-Jews, to stop supporting, with their money and enrollment, a university that has been complicit in promoting bigotry. It is the right and moral thing to do, until the university makes it crystal clear that it will stop tolerating anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism and that the perpetrators will be held to the same standards of conduct as everyone else.”
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I would at the very least expel the students involved and disbar any organization that sponsored or took part in this. Conduct of this nature has no place at an American University campus, not to mention a public University funded by tax dollars. If this conduct was committed by foreign students, their arrest should result in being deported. This is far less onerous than what would occur in their home countries.
free speech is one thing.but anti-semitism and bigotry should not be tolerated on any campus. This is a total lack of respect and eventually brings on violence.
the lack of respect shown by muslim attendees at the Michael Oren visit was obviously well planned. the uci host stated that the activists were being arrested, I overheard a policeman escorting a young woman provocateur threaten on the way out, "do that again and you will be arrested." Indicating this was not the procedure with the majority of troublemakers. I hope contributors to uci will withhold funds. But as for Jewish students boycotting, I don't agree. a judenfrei campus is not likely to contribute to better understanding and acceptance of the Israeli position.
I am not at all suprised by the ZOA's call to action, or that Michael Oren's speech was repeatedly interrupted by anti-Israel activists. I have never been a student at UC Irvine, however I did attend classes at another institution, and a fellow student in this class was a police officer at UC Irvine. In our discussions, he freely acknowledged that UC Irvine has numerous anti-Semitic incidents and that the UC Irvine regents either look the other way, or are unwilling to attempt to take any type of responsible action to prevent similiar incidents.
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